That is either the most brilliant idea I've ever heard, or the stupidest. I doubt there's any in between. (I also doubt that standing on the ground in Centralia will melt your shoes. I doubt it quite strongly since I've been there, and it didn't.) They're also characterizing the town like it's still a viable community, which it's not. It's a ghost town, with roads over the worst of the fire damage blocked off because the state finally concluded that paving over the cracks time and again wasn't actually solving the problem. But they are right about the trees turning to ash (remarkably, still tree-shaped and upright--they burn up from the inside out and believe me, there's little freakier than the sight of an ash-white tree with autumn leaves hanging off it, or giant cracks in the road and the hillside with smoke pouring out of them).
If they really wanted to scare the snot out of people, they'd be better off getting rid of melting shoes and going with "a place where your grandchild can disappear into a cavern of fire that wasn't in the middle of your backyard five minutes ago," which is more shocking and also has the advantage of being true. That was the event that finally made people, including the state, sit up and say, "Hey, living here? Not really so good for your health. Might be time to move."
Sorry. Centralia always sets me off. I'm intrigued, though, I gotta say...
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2009-03-24 05:58 pm (UTC)In CENTRALIA???
That is either the most brilliant idea I've ever heard, or the stupidest. I doubt there's any in between. (I also doubt that standing on the ground in Centralia will melt your shoes. I doubt it quite strongly since I've been there, and it didn't.) They're also characterizing the town like it's still a viable community, which it's not. It's a ghost town, with roads over the worst of the fire damage blocked off because the state finally concluded that paving over the cracks time and again wasn't actually solving the problem. But they are right about the trees turning to ash (remarkably, still tree-shaped and upright--they burn up from the inside out and believe me, there's little freakier than the sight of an ash-white tree with autumn leaves hanging off it, or giant cracks in the road and the hillside with smoke pouring out of them).
If they really wanted to scare the snot out of people, they'd be better off getting rid of melting shoes and going with "a place where your grandchild can disappear into a cavern of fire that wasn't in the middle of your backyard five minutes ago," which is more shocking and also has the advantage of being true. That was the event that finally made people, including the state, sit up and say, "Hey, living here? Not really so good for your health. Might be time to move."
Sorry. Centralia always sets me off. I'm intrigued, though, I gotta say...